U.S. Airports Are Better, but Not Best

As major airports around the world scramble to brand themselves as luxury entities rather than mere transportation centres, some have adopted a star-ranking system, like hotels. It was inevitable.

Munich Airport, calling itself “Bavaria’s gateway to the world,” boasts that it has become “Europe’s first five-star airport.” The five-star distinction was awarded in mid-March to the German airport and four other international airports by the London air-travel research firm Skytrax, based on surveys completed by more than 13 million fliers in 2014.

Modern airports positioning themselves in a firmament usually occupied by stylish hotels is an indication of how far the concept of airport-as-brand has come in the last 25 years. What used to be utilitarian — a place to grab a magazine, a candy bar or beer and get on or off a plane — has become far more elaborate, with amenities at many airports, including art galleries, interior gardens, theatres, mall-like concourses filled with shops and restaurants and, at least in some foreign airports, exotic experiences. 

Clinton Takes the Lead on Immigration

With her speech on immigration in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton took a large step forward, up front and to the left of President Obama. That is a good place to be for a presidential candidate who proposes to get the stalled debate moving again, and to bring hope to the millions living here outside the law.

Mrs. Clinton defended a path to citizenship for those 11 million, and promised as president to take executive action — more broadly than Mr. Obama has — to defer the deportations of those who have strong bonds to the community through family and work. She also promised to make conditions “more humane” for immigrant detainees.

Writing unit 9: Write a narrative with dialogue

The other day I was with a friend in the park, and we found an envelope with €1000. My friend told me "we are going to buy clothes", I told him "better not", we discussed a long time and in the end, we decided carry it to the police. When arrived there, there was a desperate man and we asked "what happened", he said he had lost an envelope with €1000 it. We told him we had found one at the park, and we asked him "if it was his", the man wept of joy and as a reward he gave us €50 each.

Writing unit 8: About an experience

During the last holidays, I stayed in Gambia with my sister. At first, I loved the place, but then I preferred being in Banyoles because I missed my friends.

Everything changed for me the day that we went to a market, I saw the people who had no part of the body and I felt sad. I gave a child one ball, this made me think that you can help the others and feel better only with yourself.

When I came back my holidays I was searching information about associations of young people volunteering near my country. If I hadn't travelled to Gambia and gone to that market, I had not interested about it.

Writing unit 7: Write an opinion essay

Changing laws:

The government plans to introduce a new law which is about introducing school on Saturday mornings in order to improve the level of education. In my view, this would have some negative consequences for the teenagers and a lot of people will complain to the government.

In the first place, I believe that it won’t work because the children will be very tired doing six school days and angry because the Saturday and the Sunday are their days for relax, to do their homework, or to stay with their family...
Furthermore I think that it will be unfair because there are more other ways to improve the level of the education and five days studying at school is enough. I have no doubt that a lot of families will have a lot of problems to bring their children at school (because they are working) if this law is introduced.

In conclusion, if the aim of the government is to improve the level of the education, it seems to me that there’s a better alternative: if they spend more hours on the subject that they want to improve during the five days of the school, the children will learn more and their education will be better.